Thermochemical generation of electricity.



No. 895,715. PATENTED AUG. 11, 1908.

, 4 -fr. BASSET. 'IHERMOGHEMIGAL GENERATION 0F ELECTRICITY.

APPLICATION 11.31) MAR. 27, i906.

Y ii .32

UNITED srArins "a rant LUCIEN PAUL BASSET, O-F PARIS, FRANCE, ASSIGNORTO MAURICE BAGQUA DE LABARTHE, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

THERMOCHEMICAL GENERATION ELECTRICITY.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. ii, 1908.

Application filed March'27, IQQ G. Serial No. 308,340.

To all whom it mar concern:

Be it known that I, LUCIE)? PAUL a citizen of the Republic of France,residing in Paris, France, have invented certain new The object of thisinvention is a thermo:

chemical process of generating electricity in which the calorific energywhich becomes free in whatever exothermic reactions occur, istransformed into electrical energy.

The electrolyte is double and '18 formed of two solutions, one of whichis composed of sulfurous acid added to a dilute solution ofsulfuricacid, and the other one of bromin or any other halogen anddiluted sulfuric acid. The :available energy taken from any source ofheat is employed for the regenerating of the electrolytes, which iseffected through the heating .of the electrolytes which issue out of thecontainers in which the reactions take place, in order to transform theminto their elements. 7 I

The vessel", open or closed, into which the electrolytes flow, containselectrodes formed preferably of carbon, said electrodes dividing 1 .thevessel into as many compartments com municating with one another throughbranching' pipes; which, compartments are divided into two parts bymeans of porous partition walls. i,

The description which follows, referring to the accompanying drawing,-will enable one to understand perfectly the particularities of theinvention and how it maybe put into practice. 1

- Figures 1 and 2 arerespectively a vertical Fig. 3 is a diagram of asuitable regenerating apparatus.

In order to eilect the process a closed vessel is used, having a seriesof electrodes 10 of carbon forming a series of compartments divided eachinto two parts by a porous parti' tion wall 11. Thusone obtains twogroups of compartments 12 and 13 which are in communicatior.alternatively by branching pipes 7 and 8. I

In the compartments 12 the first electrolvte is caused to circulate,composed of ,sulfurous acid added to a dilute solution of ulfuric acid(SO nH O SO H and in the second grou of compartments 13 the other Ielectrolyte, r, nH O +SO;H These two electrolytes come into contact bypassing BAssEr,

ous acid is produced so as to form sulfuric acid, and the bromincombines with the hydrogen of'the water to form the hydrobromic acid. Itis this reaction which produces a current of 0:63 volt which iscollected 'at the 'terminals 19 and 20. v

' With the aid of a pump the'liquiduvhich comes out of the two groups ofcompartments is forced. through common passage into a suitable heatingapparatus or regenerator in which is produced the decomposition of thehydrobromic acid and sulfuric acid into their elements, bromin, sulfuricacid, and water. The two electrolytes above mentioned containing thebrox'nin and the sulfurous acid come out separately from theregenerator, and the course of the operations is continuous. v

Referring. to Fig. 3, the battery,-which may comprise any number ofelements, is indicated at 16. The spaces '12-are in com niunication witheach other so that a liquid entering by pip'e 1'7 flows away by pipe 14after having traversed all these spaces. In like manner the spaces 13communicate with each other so that the liquid entering by pipe 18 flowsaway by pipe 15 after having traversed all these spaces. The first andthe last of the carbon electrodes 10 are respec- 'tively connected withthe terminals 19 and 20 of an electric circuit 21. A reservoir 22 incommunication with the spaces 12 of the battery 16 through the pipe 17,contains sulfur ous acid mixedwith a dilute solution of sulfuric acid(SO +nH O+H SO,). A- second reservoir 23 contains bromin and dilutesulfuric acid (Br,+nH O+H SOQ and is in communication with the spaces 13of the battery through the pipe 18. The pipes 14 and 15 for the outflowof the liquids which traverse the spaces 12 and 13 respectively, areconnected with the same conduit 24 which is attached to the intake of apump 25 driven by the electric motor 26 in the circuit 21. The deliverypipe 27 of the pump 26 leads to the lower part of a reservoir 28, and aplpe 29 opening'into the middle of the latter is coiled around the pipe27 and is connected volt, whichis taken off at the terminals 19'spective with a pipe 31. The lower part of the reservoir is incommunication, by the pipe 32, with the lower part of a chamber 33 theupper part of which is connected by a pipe 34 with the upper part of thereservoir 28; this pipe extends through a refrigerator 35 and is co ledatthis part. The upper part of the chamber 33 is also in communicationwith the pipe 31 through a pipe 36, and the reservoir 30 is incommunication with the upper part of the reservoir 23 through a pipe 37.Any source of heat 38 is arranged under the reservoir 28, and cooks 39and 40, of which the, handles are united by a link 41 in order that theymay always be operated simultaneously, are adjusted so that as muchliquid passes through pipe 31 as through the reservoir 30.

The described apparatus, to which the liquids arepassed from the pipes14, 15 and.

from which they are returned to the reservoirs 22 and 23 are not claimedherein, being illustrated for the purpose of enabling one skilled in theart to work the invention.

The liquids contained in the reservoirs 22 and 23 pass through spaces 12and 13 reporous partitions, the sulfurous acid is. oxidized to sulfuricacid, and the bromin com- .bines withthe hydrogen of the water to formhydrocromic acid. This chemical reaction may be expressed by thefollowing equation:

SO,+2H O+Br,= Q4-!2'HB1; itf' generates electriclcurrent at about 0.63

a The solution containing H SO,+2HBr is theffreserv'oir '28.), n thislatter, under the action of the heat, the sulfuric and hydrobroinicacids mutually decompose and yield largement of the pipe 31.

sulfurous acid and bromin, w ich escape at the upper part of the saidchamber 28 45 tively; 11 passing through the coiled part through ipe 34as gas and vapor respecof the pipe 34 the bromin condenses and runs'intothe reservoir 30 after having traversed the chamber 33, whence thesulfurous acid is directed, by the pipe 36, into an en- The sulfuricacid in excess remains dissolved in the water which flows from thereservoir 28 by the pipe 29. As the first part of this pipe is coiledaround the pipe 27 heat exchange occurs between the liquids which thesetwo pipes contain, so that the liquid in ipe 27 is already heated at thecost of the fieat in the pi 'e 29, before it enters the reservoir 28.

p T e dilute sulfuric acid descending in the and, owing to the presenceof thepipe 29, separates into two parts; one passes,

the other hand, the gaseous sulfurous acidv passing by pi e 36 into theenlargement of the pipe .31,

by pipe 31 has the initial composition In this manner the continuouscirculation of the liquids contained in the reservoirs 22 and 23generates issolves in-the dilute sulfuric acid with which it comes intocontact, so that the liquid which returns toreservoir 22" a continuouscurrent of electricity in the a circuit 21, in proportion as the heatreceived by reservoir 28 regenerates the active ele ments of thebattery.

I claim as my invention:

1. A process of generating electricity, consisting in circulating twoelectrolytes separately in compartments separated by porous walls, oneof the'electrolytes being a Weak solution'ofsulfuric acid containingsulfurous acid, and theother being a weak-- solution of sulfuric acidcontaining bromin,

said electrolytes reacting on each other so as to form hydrobromic acidand sulfuric acid.

2. A process of generating electricity, consisting in circulating twoelectrolytes separately in compartments separated by por ous walls, one'of the electrolytes being a weak solution of sulfuric acid containingsulfurous acid, and the other being a weak solution of sulfuric acidcontaining bromin, said electrolytes reacting on each other so as toform hydrobromic acid and sulfuric acid, and regenerating heat intobromin and sulfurous acid.

3. A process of generatin electricity consisting in circulating two eectrolytes sepathe electrolyte by I 1002.

rately into compartments se arated alternately by walls of carbon anwalls of por- I;

ous material, the walls of carbon forming insoluble electrodes incontact'with the ,electrolytes, one of the electrolytes being aweaksolution of sulfuric-acid containing sulfurous acid, and the otherbeing a weaksolut iol of sulfuric acid containing bromin, saidelectrolytes reacting on each other so as, to form hydrobromic acid andsulfuric acid.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name this 16th day of March1906, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

LUCIEN PAUL BASSET.

